


The Origins of Owlbert

by thedrunkenwerewolf



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Magic, Owlbert gets made
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:29:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedrunkenwerewolf/pseuds/thedrunkenwerewolf
Summary: How Eda made Owlbert.
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & Hooty, Eda Clawthorne & Owlbert
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	The Origins of Owlbert

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to explore how Eda might have created the adorable Owlbert and came up with this. As always feedback is nice and generally means more content for this fandom. Enjoy :)

Edalyn sighed slowly as she gazed out the window of her new home, aptly named The Owl House. She'd named it such because if she was going to have a cursed owl beast form then she was damn well going to own it. It helped that The Owl House was an owl, too, of course. An owl named Hooty, of all things. But it had been the first word the owl tube had said and the name had stuck. He was a bit annoying at times, Hooty, but for the most part she was glad for the company. Life as a wanted criminal on the run from the law could get lonely at times. So Eda wasn't going to turn up her nose at a friend.

She sat in the kitchen, drinking her morning cup of apple blood and gently easing her way into wakefulness. She'd slept in late this morning, the curse having reared its feathery head the night before, and her body was still recovering. As was her magic.

She glanced at her staff leaning against the wall, her mind wondering what sort of palisman she'd carve for it. Every witch's staff needed a palisman, and Eda's was no exception.

But Edalyn Clawthorne was a perfectionist, and she wanted her palisman to be _just right_. It was going to be her lifelong companion, after all, so it was not a decision to make lightly. One had to be absolutely sure before they carved out the shape of their palisman.

She'd already decided she wanted a little owl to sit atop her staff. She'd come to that decision several months ago. And practiced her carving before deciding she was ready to carve the real thing from the branch of an ancient elderwood tree.

She'd spent the last few weeks – if not months – carving owl after owl. All different species and sizes and shapes. Some were witch sized so she could memorise the details. Others fit in the palm of her hand. Many lining her shelves and bookcases. She even made a pair of owl bookends. But each was unique, with its own character. Shy owls, playful owls, crazy owls, hunting owls. So many and so expressive.

The larger sculptures were assembles in her garden, with the best and most impressive out front. To ward off unwanted visitors and snake oil salesmen. Though Eda was sure to place them out of Hooty's direct lie of vision. He was quite the territorial creature, not taking well to other owls in his territory. A lesson learned the hard way after the destruction of one of her favourite sculptures as he shredded her work. But when she eventually branched out to non owl subjects, dogs and demons and such like, those were the ones that went out front with Hooty.

People began to spread rumours about her, of course. The Crazy Owl Lady who lived in a house with chicken legs just outside of town. The Boiling Isles equivalent of Baba Yaga. Fearsome carved sculptures decorating her lawn. But Eda 'the Crazy Owl Lady', just shrugged them off. What did it matter to her what they said? And besides, if they all saw her as 'The Crazy Owl Lady', then by Titan she was going to live up to that image.

She was long done with being upset about what other people thought of her. If they wanted to shun her from society then fine. She'd go and make her own friends. Her own family. Which she did.

Though she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. One look at her unadorned staff told her so.

But today she was going to change that, and carve out her palisman.

She finished her mug of apple blood and threw on her red dress and a cloak to keep the autumn chill away.

"Hooty!" she called, "I'm going out. Watch over the house for me til I get back."

"Hoot hoot! Okay, be safe!"

Eda gave a smile to the house demon and nodded as she stepped out into the cool autumn air in search of the perfect tree to carve.

. . .

She walked through the woods outside Bonesborough, appraising every tree she passed by. Weighing the branches worth to be her palisman. Searching for just the right tree, brimming with ancient and powerful magic.

She was just on the verse of giving up and going home, having combed the forest for hours, when she saw it. The most ancient tree in the forest. Old and powerful. Just the tree she'd been searching for.

"It's perfect," she whispered, reaching into her bag and pulling out a saw, steadily climbing up the ancient tree to saw off a portion of a thick branch that would suit her needs. Watching it fall to the ground with a _thump._

Smirking down at it, Eda leapt down after it, proudly hefting the log onto her shoulder, humming a tune as she made the trek back to the Owl House. Picking dead leaves off it ad she went.

. . .

She set the log onto her crafting table in the garden and gathered her carving tools, ready to get to work. Hooty peering over her shoulder.

"Hoot hoot! You gonna carve your palisman?"

She nodded. "You bet. Now keep quiet and let me concentrate. This requires a lot of precision."

Hooty backed off and she began to chip and carve into the wood. Working slowly and steadily to shape the ancient wood. It took days, weeks, months of only sleeping, eating and carving. Pouring over her labour of love.

Autumn gradually turned to winter, and she had to move her workspace inside out of the shale hail and snow. Carving by firelight and light spells while Hooty slept.

But eventually, her palisman took shape, and a little owl sat before her.

Satisfied, Eda set down her tools and smiled. All there was to do now was imbue it with some of her magic.

Otherwise known as The Tricky Part.

Not enough and it'd be no use as a palisman.

Too much and it'd explode.

But she had to do it.

So taking a deep breath, she drew a spell circle around the owl carving and began the spell, holding up her staff.

" _With this spell declared,  
_ _let our life be shared.  
_ _By magic and blood our bond shall be forged,  
_ _With nothing to break us, our friendship ensured."_

She let the spell go, filling the room and the carving with a bright light as part of her magic drained into the carving. It faded slowly, dimming, and Eda took a look at her new palisman. Her companion for life. Realising life would be even less lonely now.

Where her wooden carving had sat, was now an absolutely adorable brown owl. Cute as a button he was. He blinked up at her and hooted, fluttering up to land on her shoulder, nuzzling her warmly and cooing gently.

"Well, hello to you too," Eda smiled, reaching up and stroking her palisman on the head. "I'm Eda, your new witch."

The little – and highly adorable – owl hooted and nuzzled her fingers. Making her smile. "I think I'll call you Owlbert."

The newly christened Owlbert hopped and hooted in delight and flew off her shoulder to land on her worktable, giving her a cute little bow before he hopped up onto her staff, where he'd stay protecting her until the end of their days.


End file.
